My favorite Palos Verdes Homes on the March 21, 2017, Palos Verdes real estate Broker’s Tour (22 homes had open houses today) are described below. We currently have 161 single family Palos Verdes homes for sale ranging in price from $1,025,000 in Rancho Palos Verdes to $48,000,000 in Rolling Hills Estates. There are 32 Palos Verdes condos/townhomes for sale priced between $349,999 and $2,350,000. My favorite Palos Verdes homes today are:

The holidays are here again, and this is a great time of the year for Palos Verdes homes owners to enjoy local musicians. Whether it’s carolers at the malls or holiday music on the radio, holiday sounds are everywhere. In Palos Verdes, we have many opportunities to enjoy these once a year traditions.

On Sunday, December 6, 2015, you can enjoy Christmas Tea & Carols at the Mary & Joseph Retreat Center where carolers, A Holiday Affaire, will be singing Christmas favorites in beautiful Victorian costume to bring us back to a bygone era. This fun event will start with a tea at 2:00 p.m. and the concert will begin at 3:00 p.m. The cost for the Tea & Concert is: $25 for adults and $15 for children 4-12; children under 4 are free. For reservations, call (310) 377-4867 x 234, or go to www.maryjoseph.org. Mary & Joseph Retreat Center is located at 5300 Crest Road, Rancho Palos Verdes.

Also on Sunday, December 6, 2015, St Peter’s By The Sea will be presenting a Christmas Choral Concert featuring Handel’s Messiah. They will be celebrating the season with a concert of festive Christmas, congregational carol singing, and the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah. There will be a full orchestra and soloists featuring Jeralyn Glass, soprano. The doors will open at 3:00 p.m. and it is recommended that you arrive early. There is plenty of parking available and there will be complimentary cookies, cocoa and peppermint sticks after the concert. For more information go to www.StPetersPres.org or call (310) 377-6882. St Peters by the Sea is located at 6410 Palos Verdes Drive South, Rancho Palos Verdes.

Also on Sunday, December 6, 2015, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m., Marymount California University will present their Choral Ensemble and Winter Concert – an evening of traditional and contemporary music, performed by students, faculty and staff. This event is free. For more information call (310) 303-7233 or visit www.MarymountCalifornia.edu. The event will take place at the Klaus Center located at 430 W. Sixth Street in San Pedro.

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy is presenting their Beauty of Nature series, this time with an Afternoon Tea and a screening of Miss Potter at the Trump National Golf Club on Sunday, April 19, 2015, from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. The Beauty of Nature is a film series that celebrates our natural surroundings and the artists who capture nature’s beauty in their life’s work.

The story of Miss Potter’s life work (stories like Peter Rabbit and many other memorable characters) resulted in tremendous commercial success. This allowed Beatrix Potter the funds needed to buy and protect 4,000 acres of farmland in England’s Lake District by gifting the acreage to a National Land Trust.

For more information about Afternoon Tea and Miss Potter’s screening, click here. The ticket price is $50 per person and can be purchased by clicking here. There will also be a luxury English vacation opportunity drawing where you can win a trip to England for two – five nights in five star hotels plus a travel allowance – and see the Lake District. The winner does not need to be present to win. Only 300 tickets will be sold for the opportunity drawing (separate from admission to the tea) and tickets can be purchased by calling (310) 541-7613.

Imagine an entire restaurant dedicated to Tea Service! This was my second trip to Elise’s Tea Room in Long Beach, just a half hour drive from Palos Verdes where you can enjoy a full High Tea, Cream Tea, Sampler Tea, House Tea and even a Child’s Tea. You can also order a la carte items from the menu (click here to view).

After stepping through the door at Elise’s Tea Room, you feel transported to England. The pace is unhurried, the decor is quaint and the food is delicious. They have some of the best quiches I have tasted and the soup & salad are also delicious. There is a separate room for events – everything from book club meetings to bridal showers to weddings. They also have a nice selection of gifts and teas.

Visiting Elise’s Tea Room was like having a little vacation to England and soothed my soul! Elise’s Tea Room is open Tuesday through Saturday and reservations are recommended for the weekend. Address is 3924 Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach 90807 and phone is 562-424-2134.

The Hills Are Alive With Holiday Music!

This is such a great time of the year for Palos Verdes homes owners to enjoy local musicians. Whether it’s carolers at the malls, or just tunes on the radio, holiday sounds are everywhere. In Palos Verdes, we have many opportunities to enjoy these once a year traditions.

On Sunday, December 7, 2014, you can enjoy Irish Christmas Tea & Carols at the Mary & Joseph Retreat Center, where Ken OMalley, the Irish Tenor will sing songs and tell stories of Christmas in Ireland. This fun event will start with a tea at 2:00 p.m. and the concert will begin at 3:00 p.m. The cost for the Tea & Concert is: $25 for adults and $15 for children 4-12; children under 4 are free. For reservations call (310) 377-4867, or go to www.maryjoseph.org. Mary & Joseph Retreat Center is located at 5300 Crest Road, Rancho Palos Verdes.

Also on Sunday, December 7, 2014, from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m., Marymount California University will present the Coral Ensemble and Winter Concert – an evening of traditional and contemporary music, performed by students, faculty and staff. The event is free. For more information call (310) 303-7233 or visit www.MarymountCalifornia.edu. The ocean view campus is located at 30800 Palos Verdes Drive East, Rancho Palos Verdes.

On Sunday, December 7, 2014, at 7:00 p.m., the Wayfarers Chapel will present their Christmas Concert – an annual evening of classical and popular Holiday Music featuring The Chapel Musicians. Seating is limited for this event and reservations are necessary. The cost per ticket is $25. For tickets call (310) 377-1640 x2 or go to http://wayfarerschapelfundforthefuture.org. The Wayfarers Chapel is located at 5755 Palos Verdes Drive South, Rancho Palos Verdes.

Afternoon Tea In Hermosa Beach

Last week, I attended an Afternoon Tea in Hermosa Beach in honor of our friend Lisa who was visiting from from Atlanta. The attendees each brought a savory, sweet or scones and the hostess created an incredible table setting with vintage china, a tablecloth embroidered in Austria and fresh flowers. Our Afternoon Tea included wild blueberry & date/pecan scones (from L’Amande Bakery in Torrance), 3 different kinds of tea sandwiches, deviled eggs, stuffed peppers, nut cookies, lemon tea cookies, cheese crackers, fresh fruit, a plate of petite desserts, homemade lemon curd, plum jam, devonshire cream and Irish butter. Afterwards, we sat out in the garden and enjoyed more tea and conversation.

Afternoon Tea is such a relaxing tradition and fairly easy to set up when you have a few friends willing to bring a dish to share. The hostess provides the setting and usually the tea. The guests can bring their own tea cup and it makes for an interesting discussion to learn the story behind each cup. This Afternoon Tea was extraordinary with the hostess also providing savory & sweet biscuits and fresh fruit from the Hermosa Beach Farmer’s Market. Another enjoyable afternoon that felt like a mini vacation!

Afternoon Tea At Trump 2014

It has been several years since I enjoyed Afternoon Tea at Trump National which is the only place you can experience afternoon tea in the Palos Verdes/South Bay area. They serve Naja Tea which has unique and flavorful blends of teas and is one of my favorite teas. I ordered their delicious “Mix & Mingle” tea which is a blend of black tea, rooibos tea, toasted coconut, chocolate and vanilla.

The setting is hard to beat at Trump National with its beautiful views of the ocean, Catalina island and the golf course. Our favorite sandwich was the Curried Chicken on a Croissant. Our favorite scone was the cranberry and I really enjoyed their Deep Chocolate Brownie. The service is excellent.

Afternoon Tea is a great way to celebrate a birthday or just have a relaxing afternoon with friends and is one of my favorite things to do. Afternoon Tea is served Monday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m and 48 hour reservations are necessary. For reservations or more information, call 310-303-3260. Trump National is located at One Trump National Drive, Rancho Palos Verdes 90275.

This year the City of Palos Verdes Estates Celebrates its 75th Anniversary with a diverse list of special city events. Some of these special events are sponsored by our community organizations which have presented these events over the years and will do so again this year in honor of Palos Verdes Estates’ 75th Anniversary Year and for the enjoyment of Palos Verdes home owners.

LIST OF EVENTS

May 3, 2014 – Lunada Bay Homeowners Association presents “Spring Walkabout” Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. which includes garden tours, nature walks, bungee jumps, drum circle and historical displays. This event will be held on the greenbelt at Palos Verdes Drive West and Paseo Lunado.

May 4, 2014 – Founder’s Tea at La Venta Inn. There will be two seatings on Sunday, noon to 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Join in the fun and meet your neighbors and city officials.

July 4, 2014 – Malaga Cove School will be home to the Palos Verdes Independence Day Celebration.

July 20, 2014 – Afternoon at the Plaza – Food and Wine Tasting in the Malaga Cove Plaza. Event will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – ticket price is $75.00.

September 27 & September 28, 2014 – Recreation Days – Activities will be held at the PV Beach & Athletic Club, PV Stable, PV Golf Club and PV Tennis Club.

There will be more information about all of these events for Palos Verdes homes owners as the dates draw near. If you are interested in volunteering or purchasing tickets to support the City of Palos Verdes Estates 75th Anniversary Celebrations, you can contact City Hall at (310) 378-0383.

I love the relaxation of Afternoon Tea and Palos Verdes does not have any choice other than Trump National. I keep hoping that Terranea Resort will offer an Afternoon Tea but no response yet. Yesterday, I learned that L’Amonde Bakery on Pacific Coast Highway in Torrance offers freshly baked scones every day at 3:00 p.m. and I decided to have my own little Afternoon Tea. I purchased two scones (daily special was Lemon Lavender with lemon curd) and headed home to brew my own tea. I chose Lupicia Caramel & Rum Rooibos (available at Mitsuwa Marketplace on Western in Torrance). As the tea brewed, I set out my tea cups and plated the scones. Within 10 minutes, we were sitting down and enjoying a mid afternoon treat!

I am always looking for new places for Afternoon Tea near Palos Verdes. Several friends have recommended the Afternoon Tea At the Huntington Rose Garden Tea Room. Last Friday night, we decided that we would visit The Huntington the next day and I checked online and there was only one reservation left for Afternoon Tea. I happily made the reservation feeling very lucky.

After wandering the Gardens – we loved the Japanese Garden and Chinese Gardens the best, we went to the Huntington Art Gallery and enjoyed the European art including the famous Blue Boy and Pinkie. Next we visited the Library with its incredible collection of rare books and manuscripts – the Gutenberg Bible on velum was awesome.

Afternoon Tea was a perfect break in our day. The Huntington serves it buffet style which is different from the traditional Afternoon Tea with its 3-tier presentation. The advantage was that I could go back for seconds of my favorite Tarragon Chicken sandwich and several different kinds of salads. Their Raspberry Black Tea was my favorite tea. They also served a delicious pecan bar.

In order to enjoy Afternoon Tea at The Huntington Rose Garden Tea Room you must pay for admission into The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens itself. Plan to make a day of it. It is only a hour’s drive to San Marino/Pasadena. For more information go to http://www.huntington.org/ For more information on the Afternoon Tea, click here or call 626-683-8131.